Theodore Roosevelt – the Trust Buster

Theodore Roosevelt was an extremely influential president. He was the twenty-sixth in the list of presidents of US and one of more influential. He believed Wall Street financiers and powerful trust titans to be acting foolishly and decided to fight them. The President’s weapon was the Sherman Antitrust Act, passed by Congress in 1890. This law declared illegal all combinations “in restraint of trade.” Theodore Roosevelt was not the type to initiate major changes timidly. He said confidently that no man, no matter how powerful, was above the law. Not only did he earn the title of ‘Trust Buster’ by fighting against corrupt businesses, but he also was deeply committed to conservation; he established numerous national parks to preserve the wildlife that was quickly being overtaken through industrialization.